Game flow
There are several phases a game is divided in, most of which the players go through repeatedly until one of them is destroyed. They are: # Match start up: ## Avatar cards phase. ## First draw phase. # Turn: ## Power phase. ## Turn start abilities phase. ## Turn start effects phase. ## Main phase. Match start up This is when a match begins. Both players start with 1 max mana of each type. Avatar cards phase Both player's chosen avatar cards are placed into the play field. If the life of any one of them decreases to 0, the respective player loses the match. Both players need to confirm to continue (with a time limit). First draw phase Player 1 picks 2 cards from his deck. These cards go into his hand. When he is finished, another 3 cards are drawn into his hand randomly. Player 2 then does the same. When he is finished, first turn of the match begins. Turn There is one special rule that applies for the very first turn of a match, and only for it: no dealing damage is possible whatsoever. So even if a player can rally a unit instantly (by rallying a unit with no rally time, or by using spells), he cannot use it to attack. This is to prevent dealing damage to the second player who would have absolutely no way of preventing it. During a turn, each player (player 1 first, then player 2) goes through all turn phases. Power phase The player has two options here: # Power up - raises maximal capacity of mana pool of his choice (e. g., wind, earth, fire) by one. # Draw a card - draws a random card from his deck into his hand. After this choice, the player's mana pool is filled up to maximal capacity for each type. Example: John starts with 1 wind max mana, 1 earth max mana, and 1 fire max mana; during power phase, he chooses to power up his wind max mana, so his wind max mana is now 2; in the end of power phase, his mana pool is filled, so he has 2 wind, 1 earth, and 1 fire mana at his disposal. This choice is very crucial and may have a dramatic tactical impact on the game. The player may choose to delay his powering up, staying at the very basic mana, draw cards and play some quick and cheap spells or units, trying to damage his opponent early on. Or he may choose to power up first, and then build a stronger army, or cast more expensive spells. Turn start abilities phase Every card of the player is checked for any turn start abilities. These abilities are always described in a card's text. For instance, a Priest's text reads: "Heals all friendly units in play for 1 life." Processing this effect results in all friendly units that are in play, including Priest itself, to regain 1 life up to its maximum life. Turn start effects phase Every card of the player is checked for any effects applied to it, and if any is found, it is processed. For instance, the player's avatar Warrior has a Poison applied to it; processing this effect results in the Warrior card taking 1 damage. Main phase The player can take several actions in the main phase, and in any order: * Play a unit. When a unit is played, it enters the play field, but is not considered to be in play yet. Rather, it becomes being rallied, which means that it will take some turns to actually enter play. The player may play a unit only when there is a free slot in the play field. Some units have 0 rally time, meaning that they enter play instantly, and can be used right away. * Play a spell. Spells are always instant. When a spell is played, its effect takes place right away. The spell card then goes to the graveyard. * Attack (see combat for more information). To attack, the player first chooses the attacker card in play and then the target card in play. Only cards with combat properties (such as units) can attack. The ultimate goal is to destroy the opponent avatar, but one will often meet a rather challenging resistance in doing that. When a card is chosen to attack, the following targets are valid: ** If at least one enemy unit is in play, only one of those units are valid. ** If no enemy unit is in play, only the opponent's avatar is valid. Category:Wiki